Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) as defined by the 2003 UNESCO Convention encompasses the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills, which communities recognize as part of their cultural heritage. In the case of Singapore, ICH is important as it represents the diverse practices, knowledge, and living traditions of Singapore’s multicultural society.\n\nIn recent years, the National Heritage Board of Singapore (NHB) has embarked on a concerted drive to document and safeguard Singapore’s ICH elements as well as to work with public and private sector partners to facilitate the transmission of ICH elements.\n\nPrior to these efforts, NHB studied the best ICH safeguarding practices in various countries, including Hong Kong, South Korea, France, Japan, and Malaysia (Penang). NHB noted that effective ICH safeguarding requires the community involvement and that ICH elements should be allowed to evolve or even disappear with time.\n\nNHB also noted that effective ICH safeguarding involves measures such as research and documentation efforts, recognition schemes for ICH practitioners, the creation of a national inventory, education, and outreach programs, as well as financial grants.\n\nIn November 2016, NHB launched its first nationwide ICH survey to identify key elements of Singapore’s ICH. The survey will be completed by the end of 2018. It will document more than a hundred ICH elements through oral history interviews, research, photography, and videography.\n\nMore recently, NHB announced the development of Our SG Heritage Plan, which is the first masterplan for Singapore’s heritage and museum sector. The masterplan outlines the broad strategies and initiatives for the sector over the next five years (2018 to 2022) and beyond.\n\nOne of the key strategic pillars for Our SG Heritage Plan focuses on ICH and presents the following recommendations:\n\nNHB will develop an ICH inventory to promote public awareness and facilitate public access to ICH information. The inventory will be updated with input from heritage experts and community groups.\nNHB will introduce a new scheme to recognize ICH practitioners who are dedicated to promoting and transmitting different aspects of Singapore’s ICH.\nNHB will step up efforts to research and document Singapore’s ICH and continue to promote research in ICH through research grants.\nNHB will leverage on museum exhibitions, festivals, and programs such as talks, workshops, and showcases to create greater public awareness and appreciation of Singapore’s ICH and ICH practitioners.\nNHB will work with the relevant agencies to ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention in 2018 and explore possible ICH inscription onto the UNESCO Representative List.\nIn developing the ICH strategies and initiatives, NHB conducted eight engagement sessions involving close to 190 ICH practitioners between November 2016 and September 2017 to solicit views and seek feedback.\n\nAs part of NHB’s public engagement efforts for Our SG Heritage Plan,1. the institution is presently consulting the wider public about the ICH strategies and initiatives through a dedicated website (oursgheritage.sg) and traveling exhibitions.\n\nFrom December 2017 to February 2018, close to 20,000 people have visited the exhibition, and the website has received more than 14,000 visitors. In addition, more than 5,500 people have submitted their views through onsite and online polls.\n\nThrough its efforts to document, safeguard, and facilitate the transmission of Singapore’s ICH, NHB hopes to strengthen the Singaporean identity because it believes that ICH provides links to Singapore’s past, facilitates community involvement, and fosters cultural understanding within and across ethnic communities.\n\nPhoto : The NHB’s traveling exhibition on Our SG Heritage Plan © National Heritage Board of Singapore

Dibya Jyoti Borah, President of ARHI introduces the role of ARHI in safeguarding of ICH. Established in 2008, ARHI is collaboration of individuals belonging to the indigenous tribe, activist working for the cultural-educational rights of native people. It is a wider platform for all indigenous communities to discuss and reflect upon challenges and problems faced by indigenous communities as well as finding the best means to address those concerns. It is a grassroots organization comprising all small & big indigenous communities.

In 1992, the Philippines passed Republic Act 7355, which established the Manlilikha ng Bayan program to recognize national living treasures in the field of traditional and folk arts.

Pishin-Pajouh Cultural and Art Institute was established in 1997 by a group of archaeologists who were granted the needed certificates by the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. As its objective, the Institute seeks to promote studies on Iran, especially from archaeological and anthropological viewpoints. The institute enjoys its position as being among the first NGOs of its type. It was established at a time when Iranian cultural heritage authorities were gradually starting cooperation with the private sector.

The Tharu people, who predominantly cover the east to west region of southern Nepal, have always worshiped nature and natural resources. These have been a significant part of their livelihood, contributing to their culture, economy, and ecology. Tharu women have age-old basket-making and weaving practices with vegetation and raw materials available in the area. The majority of these women are engaged in continuing this craftsmanship. While the history of basketry is not well documented, it is believed to have started from a primeval age, being an integral part of the community’s sustainability. Since there is no direct evidence on how these baskets have originated, we rely on mythological tales. One story tells us that a woman named Jasu taught a man, Ishu, how to irrigate the land during the human civilization. She also taught basket making and other forms of crafts, which is how it has been able to be passed down through generations.\n\nThis intergenerational skill is a legacy continued through generations where girls learn to weave from their mothers and grandmothers, mostly for their trousseau. The craft of making a series of baskets is called a gohori. These colorfully designed baskets are used in special ceremonies and for storing and carrying grains and vegetables, clothes, and other valuables. The women take inspiration from nature and coil the baskets with different patterns, locally termed as panwa with the objects and shapes they observe, especially plants and animals. The most commonly used pattern is called gargijarwa thanhwan, which is a technique of coiling that resembles a millipede. This intricate weaving coupled with different patterns is considered an exclusive skill of women, and the baskets are coiled and decorated with shells, tassels, peacock feathers, and flower seeds.\n\nSome other baskets include a small coiled basket for keeping spices known as, nuiya, and pantopni, a colorful coiled designed lid basket for covering a water pot. Dhakiya, is coiled in different patterns reflecting the objects around and used for carrying pahur, gifts to relatives, are some of the significant woven series. Similarly, delwa is an important series coiled in different colors and decorated with shells and beads on its edge with strands of threads. This is used to carry the clothes of the groom and ornaments and other valuables of the bride. Bhauka is a big storage basket with a lid. It is used to store clothes and valuables and is hung above with a rope inside the room.\n\nBasketry has played an essential role in family life and marriage. Earlier, when the community practiced child marriage, a child bride was sent back to her natal home to practice basketry and spend time with the family. After she learned the necessary skills, she would come back to live with her in-laws. Once she carried the series of baskets and presented them to the family members, she would then be considered a qualified daughter-in-law. The skill may seem like a bridge for two families; however, it also strengthens Tharu women’s agency, love, and respect with mothers and mothers-in-law. Traditionally, mothers would feel secured for their skillful and qualified daughters if they took a series of baskets as their dowry. Therefore, basketry has become an essence for marriage ceremonies and has worked to bond and strengthen relationships between families. \n\nIntergenerational knowledge is central to transferring skills and information around the use and curation of plants and craftwork. Cultural transmission between the work and knowledge of the crafts is vital for maintaining a sense of community and identity. However, with very few young generations motivated in continuing this craft, the skill is dying out. Cheap plastics are replacing the functionalities of these indigenous baskets. Bhauka making is near extinction, and delwa struggles to be purchased from the very few existing weavers. The practice that was a medium of exchanging gifts and connected two families is now limited to stories. The basketry not only portrayed the beautiful skill of Tharu women but also depicted love for nature, passion for weaving, and sustained the relationship between nature and culture. Therefore, there is a great need for documenting this intangible heritage and recording the narratives for archives.\n\nPhoto 1 : Delwa© Maya Rai\nPhoto 2 : Traditional coiling tool chedana, raw materials moonj and kans and a wooden dwar to soak raw materials © Maya Rai\nPhoto 3 : Coiling traditional basket © Maya Rai\nPhoto 4 : A Tharu woman carrying </>delwa © Maya Rai

WEAVE, a member of the World Fair Trade Organization and a Social Enterprise World Forum verified social enterprise, is an inspiring and extraordinary organization powered by refugee women. It has empowered and made a significant impact on the lives of Karen and Karenni refugee women artisans and their host communities on the border of Thailand and Myanmar. By integrating elements of ICH and the creative industries in its work, WEAVE has created a powerful platform for social and economic empowerment. Below are the features of the connection between WEAVE’s work, ICH, and the creative industries, and its positive impact to the refugee women artisans and their host communities.

When strolling the pedestrian zone around Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hà Nội, one may be attracted by a man sitting behind a small wooden box filled with colorful figurines. With only a small bamboo stick in his hands, the man can create beautiful roses, lively dragons and legendary generals in their elaborate costumes. It takes only ten minutes for him to complete the creation of a figurine. This man is a tò he maker.\n\nTò he, as briefly described, are figurine toys popular in Hà Nội and some other provinces in the Red River Delta of Vietnam. Traditionally, the common figurines depicted flowers, animals, historical figures and characters in folk tales. Nowadays, a diversity of new figurines can be made, adapting from famous cartoon and movie characters whom children adore. They range from Doraemon, Sailor Moon to Elsa Princess.\n\nThe about-10-centimeter figurines seem to be simple at the first sight but what make them really stand out are the sophisticate craftsmanship and great passion of their makers. The first step of making tò he is to prepare the dough by pouring fresh water into a mixture of glutinous and regular rice powder. The dough then is dropped into the boiling water for about one hour. The final step of making the dough is to divide it into different portions and dye them with food colors. There are seven basic colors used in tò he figurines: green, pink, red, violet, yellow, white and black. The dough must be carefully prepared to ensure the edibleness of tò he, which is a unique characteristic of these folk toys.\n\nThe creation of tò he figurines requires another great amount of patience and skillfulness. Every small detail is kneaded by hand, and different colors are applied without never staining one another. Therefore, seeing a favorite character coming to his/her life on the hand of the tò he maker is like watching a magic trick for many children.\n\nWith several anecdotal evidence, the history of tò he is said to date back to the 17th century. Xuân La, a suburban village in Hà Nội, is the home of most active tò he craftsmen. Every day, tò he makers from Xuân La spread out to different corners of Hà Nội to sell their craftworks.\n\nIn the past, tò he figurines were only sold during Tết (Vietnamese New Year) and Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival). Therefore, getting these figurine toys from their parents could bring immense joy for children who had waited for them for such a long time. These days, tò he can be found almost every day at several major parks and tourist attractions in Hà Nội, such as the walking streets around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Văn Miếu (The Temple of Literature) and the Museum of Ethnology. Tò he craftsmen are also present at many cultural events in different parts of Vietnam.\n\nFor many people in today’s Vietnam, tò he can evoke their beautiful childhood memories. And for children, tò he can bring them into a colorful world of creativity and imagination. While tò he, as such, currently enjoys considerable vitality despite the invasion of children’s modern toys and games, more efforts are required to make in order to keep this folk art continuously alive and flourishing. Making new figurines that are closer to children’s daily life is one of the directions almost tò he makers have been following. In addition to that, tò he craftsmen and those who love tò he have organized several tò he making classes where children and adults can learn about the history of this folk art and get hands-on experience of tò he making.\n\nphoto 1 : Dragons and roses are two among the most common tò he figurines. ⓒ Nguyễn Phú Đức\nphoto 2 : A craftsman is kneading a rose-shaped tò he. ⓒ Nguyễn Phú Đức

"The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (‘ICH Convention’ or ‘Convention’ hereafter) was adopted in 2003 and subsequently brought into force in 2006. The ICH Convention mandates signatories to use or mobilise various measures to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. \nEven though the Convention does not succinctly mention the elaborate legal measures for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, the intellectual property rights to protect intangible cultural heritage and its holders are implied throughout provisions of the Convention. To implement the Convention’s spirit, the Operational Directives clarify legal form as safeguarding measures by stating that: State Parties shall endeavor to ensure, in particular through the application of intellectual property rights, privacy rights and any other appropriate form of legal protection, that the rights of the communities, groups, and individuals that create, bear and transmit their intangible cultural heritage are duly protected…."

Intangible cultural heritage presents an important form of living cultural heritage. It covers fundamental, yet extremely vulnerable aspects of living culture and tradition embodied in the spiritual life, traditional knowledge, skills, and practices of communities. It presents one of the most vivid and colourful forms in which the world’s cultural diversity is expressed and preserved.

An inventory generally refers to a comprehensive list of tangible items, such as property, goods on hand, contents in an area. So within this idea, one must wonder whether it is possible in the field of culture to inventory each item.

This paper aims at providing a basis for discussion on how to enhance regional and sub-regional collaboration among ICH stakeholders. The paper begins with identifying ICH stakeholders at local and national levels, and then looks at ICH stakeholders at sub-regional and regional levels. Sub-regional integration bodies in Asia and the Pacific region are introduced as potential partners for ICH safeguarding, while specific functions assigned to three Category II Centres in the field of ICH established in the region are highlighted for the sake of clarification. Based on that, the paper suggests three actions with a view to enhancing regional and sub-regional collaboration among ICH stakeholders; i) set clear goals and results to be achieved within the framework of global vision, ii) formulate a strategy and action plan, and iii) ensure monitoring and evaluation. Most of the examples used in this paper are taken from the Pacific region with which the author is familiar.

In reality, safeguarding ICH (or whatever term one uses)1 has been an important issue for the large majority of countries around the globe and their citizens long before the 2003 Convention was adopted. The ‘problem’ of ICH, therefore, was a lack of formal international recognition of this reality and a cultural heritage protection paradigm that prioritised monumental European cultural forms over local and indigenous ones and that, when it addressed traditional culture, it did so from a heavily researcher-oriented viewpoint. The experience of those countries that are Parties to the 2003 Convention shows clearly that ICH in all its various forms is a rich social and, often, economic and even political resource that provides a variety of possible routes towards sustainable models of development. This variety is determined by many social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental factors and is itself part of the invaluable diversity of this form of heritage.